Hyland not daunted at heading into lion’s den

By Stephen Leonard

PATRICK Hyland will head into the lion’s den when he takes on Josh Warrington in the Englishman’s backyard of Leeds in a battle for the WBC International Featherweight title this coming Saturday.

Yet while the Tallaght man may not have the backing of the majority of the crowd, he is certainly not the type to be easily intimidated.

“It doesn’t faze me [fighting in Warrington’s home city],” he told The Echo.

“I’ll be looking to soak up the atmosphere and try and keep the crowd quiet by hitting him with some big punches and hurting him.

“I’ll just stick to my game plan and leave the crowd feeling the fear of seeing their man lose. I want them to know that I’m not just another opponent here looking for a pay day,” he stressed.

Hyland will be coming into this fight off the back of his second-round defeat at the hands of Gary Russell Jr in their WBC Featherweight title clash in the US back in April.

It was a very clinical performance by the American southpaw, but Hyland is adamant that he will provide far more problems for Warrington.

“He’s [Warrington’s] not a lefty. He likes to come forward and throw hundreds of punches, but he leaves himself open.
“I’m a good boxer and I can counter-punch him. I like to come forward too and go toe-to-toe.

“This is the kind of fight I’ve been looking for for the past few years and hopefully I can go out there and win and bring that title home to Tallaght,” he added.

At 32 years old, this fight could be the Dubliner’s last shot at a major title and he will wants to give it everything in an effort to not only cause an upset, but perhaps open up the door to another world title shot.

He is no stranger to the big stage having fought Javier Fortuna for the WBA World Featherweight prize back in 2012 before taking on Russell for the WBC equivalent.

Neither were happy endings for Hyland, and while this weekend’s WBC International title fight may offer more hope, he knows he will have to be at his very best to unhinge the beloved home boy in Leeds.